Hurt
by Melira
Summary: When Mal enters Inara's shuttle, he finds her almost unconscious, beat up by a client. Even if she isn't willing to tell him who did this to her, he will make sure to find out and make the man pay. Rating for safety and due to violence
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:  
Hej there!  
_ _First of all: Merry christmas to everyone out there who celebrates it!  
Second: I know, I should finish my ongoing story first, but this just sort of happened yesterday and I thought why not give it a chance. My first one-shot and in a new fandom... Let's see if it's any good.  
Pure hurt and comfort. Well, more hurt than comfort, but... To be honest, Mal and Inara just beg to be tortured so they have to show their feelings for each other, don't they?  
Last thing before I let you read: My usual reminder that I'm not a native speaker. So if you find any (major) mistakes, please tell me about them. I can't get better if no one teaches me. Thanks! Oh, and I know, I didn't get Mal's slang at all. I didn't even try because that's way above my skills anyways. Sorry for that!  
Now enjoy :-)_

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Mal didn't knock. He never did. He just walked into her shuttle without announcing himself as he always did. Just because he knew it annoyed her. And as usually he didn't really have a reason to enter her quarters. He told himself it was because it was dinner time and he wanted to tell her, for she hadn't left her shuttle since her return from her last ... client. But if he was honest with himself – something he tried to avoid when it came to her – this was just a pretence. He had come here to see her and hoped he could get her to join the crew for the meal. Yes, if she did it would most likely end in a heated discussion between the two of them but he didn't mind that. It was worth it. To him, anyways...

When he had managed his way through all the curtains obscuring the path, he saw her lying on the bed, facing away from him and curled up. Sleeping.

Instantly, an argument between his common sense and his longings broke out. He itched to go near her, to see her lying there, eyes closed and peaceful. He had never seen her sleep but somehow he was sure it would make her look even more beautiful than she already was. If that was possible at all. On the other hand... He couldn't do that. He couldn't invade her privacy like that, it wasn't decent. And if she caught him in the act, he was sure she wouldn't forgive him easily.

So he stood there, rooted to the spot and fought with himself. He wanted to go near her but he knew it was a bad idea. He wanted to see her but he knew she wouldn't want him to.

In the end, his instincts got the upper hand, same as always, and he started moving towards her. He prescribed a semicircle so as not to collide with her huge bed. The huge bed, draped with fabric in more colours than he could name, that served as her workplace. He didn't even want to think about all the nose-up, arrogant brats, the favourites of the Alliance, she had already had here. Every time he thought about her doings, he could feel anger well up inside him.

When he tiptoed closer, he started to get a better view of her. She lay on her side, back describing an arc, head bent down and her arms clutched around her middle. Her whole posture was somehow tensed. Mal stopped mid-step, taking a second to have a closer look. Her face was distorted in pain and tears had made their way down her beautiful features.

He was at her side in a split second, without even thinking about it. He knelt before her bed and laid a hand on her shoulder. He could feel it shake slightly.

"Inara!" He was shocked by the sound of his own voice. It was rough and sounded almost ... scared.

At her name, her head snapped up and her eyes searched for the person who had disturbed her. One of them was swollen and he could see a bruise forming around it.

Anger welled up inside him. Who did this to an innocent woman? What deranged asshole was able to enact violence on someone as soft and tender as Inara? He could practically see the edges of his vision turn red. He wanted to shake her and ask for the name of whoever had did this to her so he could beat the guy to a pulp. But at the sane time he wanted to care for her and not leave her side until she was better again. Call the doctor even so the man could do something useful for once.

He took a deep breath. Anger would get him nowhere right now and he knew it. He needed to calm down.

"'Nara, what happened?" His voice still was so unlike him, so much softer.

She had managed to fix her eyes on him, but her expression was undecipherable. Was it hurt? Or shock? Maybe anger or defiance? He couldn't make it out. Her training in hiding every true emotion was too strong and he was too worked up to be sensitive.

She didn't answer, just looked at him for a second and then averted her eyes again.

He added a slight pressure to the shoulder he still had his hand on. "Inara. Tell me what happened." He wasn't sure but his voice sounded slightly pleading in his own ears.

"Inara!" He had to concentrate not to shake her shoulder after all, to get her attention. Finally, she slowly looked up again, once more searching for his face. She shook her head a little, defying him an answer. She had always taken the privacy of her clients too serious for his taste. How could she possibly try to protect someone after he had did this to her?

"Tell me!", he repeated, a little louder this time. She flinched and shook her head again, a little more this time. That the movement had been a mistake was imminently obvious. She made a low distressed noise that tore at his heart, closed her eyes, curled up even more and moved one hand to her mouth.

'Nausea' flashed through his mind. That bastard had given her a concussion. He held perfectly still although it cost him a lot of effort not to try get the name of that ... man out of her and waited, hoping she would get better again. But there was no such luck, of course. After a few seconds, she twitched and made that noise again.

Mal flashed a quick glance around. There was nothing in sight that would serve the purpose. So he just did what his instincts told him to do. He lifted her up by the shoulders – she was so light it frightened him – and pulled her near the edge of the bed. It was obvious he caused her additional pain but it was better than the alternative.

She shook in his grip before retching and vomiting on the floor next to her bed. The tears had started flooding over her face again.

Tears. He had never seen her cry before. Inara simply didn't cry, she was too strong for that. That she did now made his determination to find the person responsible even stronger. Nobody should be able to break Inara to the point where she acted not herself anymore.

When it became apparent that she was at least a bit better again, he carefully let her down. She kept her eyes closed and didn't do anything to acknowledge his presence anymore. Her whole body was still shaking and her posture even more tensed than before.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to get her to talk to him and he certainly didn't want to leave her side. But on the other hand he had to do everything in his power to help her and as he was out of his depths here, the only reasonable possibility was to get the doctor.

He waited another few seconds and when her condition didn't change, he slowly stood up, carefully lifting his hands from where he still touched her.

"I'll get the doctor", he told her a bit awkwardly before leaving her side. He couldn't help but turn around again at every other step, checking that she was still laying still.

As soon as he had closed her door behind him, he picked up his pace, practically running to the medbay, hoping the physician really was there.

His mind was racing. Had she said anything indicating who she had seen today? Had she given any hints? This was a huge planet, there were plenty of possibilities. If he could only get the name from her! He felt like he'd go crazy if he didn't do anything.

When he arrived at the small, clinical clean room, he was relieved to indeed find the doctor there, working. And alone.

"Doctor!" His sudden appearance and harsh tone made the other man's head snap up.

"Captain?!"

"Inara is hurt." He didn't give any further explanation. In his opinion that wasn't necessary. All that mattered was the fact itself.

"What?" The shocked expression matched Mal's feelings when he had first found her. "How? What?"

"A client", he ground out. "I guess he's punched her. Concussion."

The doctor didn't move at first, just staring at Mal. Only when the captain made a highly impatient noise did he jump into action.

"Where is she?" he asked, simultaneously trying to get a full impression of the situation and gathering the things he might need.

"In her shuttle. I found her lying on her bed. She barely moves." The memory made Mal shudder. Inara, who always was active and who was never short of a snappy response to his remarks, barely reacting to his presence was one of the most worrying things he had ever experienced.

"Is she awake?" The doctor had finished packing his stuff and was rushing past Mal, not waiting for an answer because he knew, the captain would follow him anyways.

"Yes." Mal instantly was at the doctor's heels, overtaking him at the first opportunity.

It took them less than a minute to get where they were heading, but to Mal it felt like ages.

When they reached Inara's shuttle, Mal didn't bother knocking, even less so than usually when he just didn't do it to annoy her. They barged in, the doctor only half a step behind Mal, to find her still laying on her bed. She hadn't moved an inch since Mal had left her.

While he could only stand there, helplessly watching as the doctor ran over to her, trying to assess the situation, a thought came to his mind. How had she managed to get back here in the first place? How had she been able to steer her shuttle in this condition. She couldn't even sit upright anymore. He tried not to think about it, not to envision what it must have had been like. He was sure he wouldn't ever be able to get the picture out of his head again.

While he was standing there, unable to move, the doctor had knelt down before the bed, quite like Mal himself had, and started talking to Inara.

"Inara", he called her name. "Try to look at me, please." Mal couldn't see if she did so for he was still standing behind her, but since the doctor didn't repeat the command but started shining a small flash light in her face, apparently she had.

"Concussion alright", the doctor muttered under his breath so that Mal barely caught it. So he had been right. With every passing second his anger grew. If he ever learned the name of whoever had done this, the man surely wouldn't see the next day unscathed. If at all.

"Inara, can you try laying on you back?" the doctor's soft voice sounded again. Mal thought he could see her shake her head the tiniest bit and the doctor tried again.

"Please. I need to see if you are injured." Injured. The thought hadn't come to Mal before, he had ascribed her hunched over position to the general feeling of vulnerability. But as he took a closer look, he could see her arms being wrapped around her torso tightly. Come to think of it, they had been all the time, even when he had first come into her quarters. His fury intensified with every further revelation about the extent of her trauma.

"Mal, could you lend me a hand?" the doctor suddenly addressed him. "We need to turn her over. She won't like it but I have to check for internal bleeding." Internal bleeding. Mal did his best to just shut down his brain, to ignore the implications of what the young man was saying and just moved over to the other side of the bed, glancing at him questioningly for further instructions.

"Take her arm and turn her on her back. Carefully!" When Mal came closer and put his hands on Inara's arm and shoulder, the doctor talked to her soothingly.

"It's alright, it's gonna be alright." He got on like this and it occurred to Mal that it didn't matter so much, what he was saying but what tone he used. His voice was calm and low, implying that nothing bad could happen. Somehow it sounded stupid, but it was comforting anyways.

When Mal started to cautiously pull at Inara's upper body, she tried to resist, but the doctor made a small gesture, indicating he should go on nevertheless. Slowly, he managed to turn her and when her face pointed upwards, he could see the tears still flooding down her cheeks.

"Now, try to get her arm loose, I need to palpate her abdomen." Although Mal gave his best to be as careful as possible, she whimpered when he forced her to move out of her tensed position.

The doctor stood up from the floor and sat down on the mattress next to her, pulling gloves on. He carefully started to lift her shirt while Mal was glad she hadn't chosen a dress today. When the fabric revealed the skin beneath, both man sucked in a breath. Half her upper body was covered in forming bruises. Mal was getting sick at the thought of how brutal the man must've been to cause such damage.

"Inara, I need you to relax", the doctor told her. "Try to calm down!"

Nothing changed. Her body remained tensed and her breathing laboured. He looked at Mal. "Soothe her. I can't give her a sedative before I know how bad it is or I might cause further damage."

Mal's eyes widened. He had never been good with people. Not on an emotional level anyhow. But another look at Inara was enough to make him swallow and push aside all reservations. She was crew and she needed his help so he would do his best. Or at least that was what he told himself. There was no room for any further considerations concerning how he felt about her.

He took one of her hands and she instantly squeezed his, trying to compensate for the intense pain she was in.

"Shh, it's alright", he told her. "Inara, look at me. Look at me." She barely moved her head. "Concentrate on me. Come on. You need to calm down so the doctor can help you." Her posture didn't change.

The doctor was trying to examine her, but her muscular defense made it impossible. He looked at Mal. "Keep trying!" he urged.

Mal helplessly looked at the woman before him. He didn't know what else to do. There were still tears running down her face and into her hair. The dark curls were spread out across the pillow, making her features look even paler than they already were due to her condition. Instinctively, Mal reached out and wiped the tears away. As soon as he touched her, she slightly turned her head to meet his hand. He was so shocked, he almost pulled his hand away again, but at the last second remembered to stay still.

Slowly, her breathing evened out a bit and her body lost some of the built-up tension. Mal looked at her, completely astounded by the change. The doctor on the other hand didn't hesitate and used the opportunity to finally check her for internal injuries. When he let out a breath a few seconds later, Mal cast him a questioning glance.

"No. No damage apart from the obvious bruising and the concussion." He hesitated. "Although that surely is bad enough..." The doctor bent down and grabbed a vial and a syringe out of the pile of things he had brought with him.

"I'll give her a mild sedative and an analgetic. That's all I can do for her. I'd take her to the medbay but I think it would be better to keep her here." He looked at Mal. "Shall I stay with her or will you? She needs to be wakened every two hours and checked for brain damage."

"I know what to do with a concussion", Mal told him a bit indignantly.

"So you will stay with her?"

Mal looked down at his hand that still cupped Inara's face. "Yeah, I will."

"Alright." The doctor pulled the fluid into the syringe and injected it into the woman's arm. He then stood up, gathered his things and walked over to the door. At the last moment he turned around again. "If there are any problems, call for me. I'll tell the others what happened, but I deem it better not to allow them to visit. The additional people would mean too much stress for her." He stopped for a second. "I'll be back in a few hours." With that, the doctor left and let Mal alone with his musings and a now almost unconscious woman.

Even if she wasn't going to tell him who was responsible for this, he was hell bent on finding out, even if that forced him to hack into her communication protocols. And if he wasn't able to do it himself, he was sure Kaylee would help him, even if it meant a breach of trust to her best friend. He would find that monster and he would make him pay!

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 _A/N: Well, that was it. What did you think? Please review, I'd appreciate it a lot!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I did it! I really did it! I never planned to write more than the original oneshot so I was absolutely surprised when so (relatively speaking) many people demanded more. In my head there simply wasn't more to it than what had already been written. I had to think of a story first because there was nothing :-D And it took me long enough... Three months exactly. But in my defense: I'm not an experienced writer and not using my own language didn't make it any easier, so at some points, I just got stuck because I wasn't good enough to continue. But I made it, somehow, finally, so here's the first part of the rest of the story. Hope you'll like it!_

 _Once again: I know, I didn't manage their slang at all, I didn't even try because I know I wouldn't get it right anyways. Guess I should have watched the show in English, but somehow, I never did, no idea why..._

 _Before I forget: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially the Guests; thanks for inspiring me to write more; and thanks to crity2re, you'll see, I worked in your suggestions, no idea what would have happened without them._

 _And last but not least: If you find mistakes, tell me about them! When I just re-read the first chapter, I found some horrible mistakes myself and no one had told me about them. So please: Do!_

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The night seemed to last forever. Mal sat on the floor next to Inara's bed, unmoving. He was unable to leave her and at the same time not capable of giving in to his feelings. He itched to touch her face whenever she restlessly turned her head from one side to the other or twitched in pain. But he couldn't. Sitting there, not parting his eyes from her features, was all he could do.

His thoughts kept turning around what had happened, images came up in his head, showing him some dark figure slapping Inara until she fell to the floor and then continuing to kick her. It made him sick but he just couldn't stop it, he had no control over it. The pictures kept tormenting him, no matter what else he tried to think of. They kept showing up before his inner eye and with every passing minute his hate for the guy who had done this grew. More than he ever thought was possible.

Every two hours when he had to wake her, it got harder not to shake her and demand a name. It was near impossible to just gently touch her shoulder, get her attention and ask for her name and whereabouts so he could safely let her sleep again, knowing her head trauma hadn't caused further damage. And every time, her weak answers tore at his heart. After the fourth time he thought he wouldn't be able to stand it again and after the fifth, he was close to calling that damn doctor in order to make him do something. Anything. Although he knew Simon had already done everything in his power. Rational thought abandoned him as always when it came to the woman lying before him only this time she couldn't even get him back onto the ground again as she usually did because she was gorram unconscious!

Luckily, only minutes before he had to wake for the sixth time, she slowly opened her eyes. Since she was still lying curled up on her left side, the first thing her eyes fell on, was Mal, still sitting in front of her bed. It was obvious she needed a few seconds to recognize him. Something she hadn't done whenever he had pulled her half-up from sleep before.

"Mal", she whispered, voice raspy and so unlike usual self. But she seemed to be fully conscious and aware of her surroundings.

He didn't want to go straight for it but he was unable to contain his anger any longer.

"Who?", he asked, louder than he intended to. "Who did this?"

She flinched, her hand shot up to her head and she screwed her eyes shut again. He was shocked to see that he had actually underestimated the amount of pain she was in. Her brain seemed to have taken quite some beating if a slightly heightened voice made her show her suffering so much. Normally, she wasn't someone to ever confess she hurt when at all possible to keep it to herself.

"Inara!" he said, quieter this time. "Who did this?"

She barely reacted to his demanding tone, only shook her head the slightest bit, similar to how she had done the night before when he had first asked her what had happened.

He could feel the anger build up inside him. How could she not tell him?

"Inara!" he called her by her name again. "Look at me!" When she didn't, he instinctively put his hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Look at me!" he repeated. This time, she opened her eyes and focused on him. He could practically see the pain clouding her vision which only made him even more determined to get the information he wanted. Needed, even.

"'Nara, you have to tell me who did this to you", Mal urged.

"No", she answered him, in a low voice but resolutely.

"Why not?" Mal got impatient. He had thought her reluctance to tell him had been due to the haze she had been in when he had first found her, but now she was seemingly clear and still refused to give him that bastard's name.

"Not my secret to tell", she explained.

"Not your..? What?" He could hardly believe it. "That guy beat the hell out of you and you say his name is not your secret to tell?"

"Guild's rules. Can't give away a client's name." Although the content of her words angered him to no small extent, the weakness of her voice and the fact that she didn't bother using complete sentences made him want to stop arguing and pull her close, waiting for her to get better again even if it took days rather than hours. But it was of no use. He would never allow himself to do that and the guy responsible had to pay, so he had to try and get the name from her. And he had to stay strong, he wouldn't let his feelings show, especially not towards her. He would keep his facade up, no matter what it cost him.

"You can't? What's that supposed to mean? He's dangerous! He hurt you, beat you to a pulp." The longer he talked the more the compassion for her gave way to anger and hatred. He could feel a switch flip inside him and change to his mean side, the jealous one, the resentful one, the one that hated her job and let it show at every opportunity. "He beats you, kicks you, probably causes your ribs to break and you stick to your stupid rules? I somehow get that you keep your", he struggled with the word, "clients secrets, but this?" He heard his own voice get louder again and saw her close her eyes against the additional pain he caused her but he didn't care. Not anymore.

"I will tell the guild about him so no companion will ever accept him as a client again, but I won't give you his name." Her tone was final and didn't allow any further arguing but the sentence seemed to have cost her every bit of what little of her strength had been left and after she had told him one last time, he wouldn't get what he wanted, she turned a few inches away from him, pale as a sheet and trembling from both the pain and the effort to speak.

Mal was unable to cope with what was going on in his mind. His caring for her and the wish for revenge battled for the pole position in his consciousness. He wanted to take her in his arms and break every bone in that man's body at the same time. And while the two feelings struggled for his prime attention, there was a third voice in his head, raging against Inara, her job and all the stupid things that came with it. 'Can't tell you, guild rules'. He was close to viciously shaking his head at the thought of her taking refuge behind that set phrase. Just as he was about to engage one more time in their verbal duel, his mind kept up with what his eyes were seeing.

She obviously was completely exhausted, at the end of her capabilities. His guilty conscience practically screamed at him how he could have argued with her when she was barely able to stay conscious, not to think of having a heated discussion.

Not knowing what to do, how to react, Mal did the only thing he thought couldn't do further harm. He got up, and after a last long look at her still figure, turned to leave the shuttle.

He was planning on getting the doctor. No matter how angry he was at Inara, the pain she was in was obvious and he couldn't just let it go untreated _._ She hadn't asked for anything to ease the pain, of course not that would have meant admitting to how bad she was feeling, but that wouldn't hinder him helping her. At least a little. In the only way at the moment possible. Plus, he was somehow feeling bad for causing her even more distress. Although it was her own fault. Because honestly, if she would have just told him the name, there wouldn't have been a reason to fight. He didn't know what to feel anymore. He was angry at her for not telling him but at the same time, he wanted to soothe her and do everything in his power to make her feel better. So in the end, he would just make someone else take care of her while he tried to get the name of the man who did this to her.

As soon as the door between her shuttle and the ship opened, Kaylee was upon him. Apparently, the girl had stood there, not daring to enter the shuttle but too worried to just leave, waiting for someone to come and tell her how her friend was.

Mal had always smiled at the two women's relationship. At first sight, they seemed to be exact opposites, one always clad in the most expensive of fabrics and the other usually smeared with motor oil and grease. But when you got to know them and watched them closely, they shared their sense of humour and had the same girlish interests. Although Inara was more like a woman while Kaylee looked up to her, much like a little sister, trying to imitate her perfect sibling.

"Captain!" His engineer stood right in front of him, looking frightened and relieved at the same time. "How is she?" she asked anxiously.

He debated what to tell her. On the one hand side, he didn't want to scare her, on the other he thought it best to keep her out of the room. Inara was weakened enough as it was, especially after that stupid argument, so he thought it best to leave her alone until she had regained some strength. Now that was clear her brain hadn't suffered severe damage, there was no need to constantly wake her anymore.

"She's exhausted", he answered half-truthfully after a moment's hesitation. But before he could tell her to stay out of the shuttle, Kaylee looked at him inquisitively.

"You've been fighting, haven't you?", she accused him, anger in her voice. She had always been too good at reading the feelings between the companion and the captain. Apparently even if she only saw one of them. "You always are! Even now. You insensitive jerk." The insult made him blink. "Your constant quarrelling is bad enough when you are both fine, but now? I'm always astounded at how irresponsible and dumb the man, I followed at a snap of his fingers, can be." Her voice had gotten louder with every word and her eyes were almost sparking with fury.

Mal was taken aback by her sudden outburst. It had been a while since Kaylee had last lost her patience. Usually, she was quite peace-loving and acted accordingly.

"I didn't pick the fight", he defended himself. "I just wanted to know who had done this but she refused to tell me so I asked again. It's not my fault that she clings to her stupid rules more than to her own health." The mild shock at the accusations gave way to anger once again.

"It's her life. You can't blame her for following orders so she doesn't lose most of it."

"And you can't blame me for doing my job. She belongs to the crew and if my crew gets hurt, I have to defend them, even if the damage is already done. I can't have some asshole beat up a woman, especially one inhabiting the Serenity, and go unpunished." Now he was the one raising his voice.

"But it's her decision. If she doesn't give you the name, you have to accept that." Kaylee had crossed her arms and stared up at him.

"That's what you think, is it? You say I should just leave it be?"

"Yes, exactly. I don't like it one bit more than you do, but at least I respect her enough not to question every decision she makes." So much for his plan to ask her for help with hacking into Inara's communication protocols to get the name. Mal was already searching for a backup plan when a sudden idea hit him. It was manipulative and he almost felt bad about it, but in this case the aim justified the means, so he pushed away the voice telling him to be straight with his crew rather than tricking them into doing what he wanted them to.

He huffed and looked back at the door he just came through.

"Well then, guess I don't have a say in the matter anyways. I thought I'd go look for your doctor", he teased her, trying to lighten the mood, "and ask him if he has something for Inara. Do you want to keep her company?"

Kaylee just nodded, ignoring the comment on her non-existing love life and brushed past him.

While walking away he hoped his plan would work. That Kaylee, seeing what had been done to her friend, would change her mind and help get the name so justice could be done.

Justice... If he was honest with himself, it was more like revenge, but he refused to admit that to himself. He wouldn't acknowledge the feelings he had for Inara. Feelings that made it impossible for him to think and act logically when she was concerned.

When he reached the medbay, he was relieved to find the doctor on his own, sorting through his instruments and cleaning the already clinically neat room.

"Captain", the man said, looking up, when Mal entered the room. "How's Inara?"

"Not much different from last night", he responded gruffly. "But more or less awake, so that's something."

"Is she coherent? "

Mal nodded.

"I should check on her", Simon said. "Is she in pain?"

Mal uncomfortably averted his eyes. "I think so."

The doctor looked at him inquiringly. "You two had a fight", he stated bluntly.

What? Mal lifted his eyes again. How did everybody just know about it?

"You always fight", was Simon's answer to the unspoken question. "Alright then, I will see if I can give her something. But I think you should stay away from her for now. She needs rest, not arguing!" The words were so firm, they resembled a command and Mal opened his mouth to protest at orders given to him on his own ship, but the doctor had already moved past him. Leaving the captain behind with nothing to do but in exasperation throw his hands in the air.

After a second of confused frustration, Mal started going after the younger man. He wouldn't let himself be told what to do. Especially not when on his ship and concerning his Inara!

The doctor just ignored Mal's presence when he caught up and kept going. Reaching the shuttle, he knocked on the door but carefully entered without waiting for a response. Mal could see him falter slightly in his steps when he caught sight of Kaylee. The mechanic was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the bed, pretty much the same as Mal had. But she held Inara's hand in hers, talking to the woman in a low voice although the companion seemed to be almost unconscious. When she heard the men enter, Kaylee lifted her head and looked at them. Simon moved closer while Mal didn't know where to put his eyes. He couldn't bear looking at Inara who was lying on her side so she could see Kaylee. But he couldn't resist watching her either. It was enough to drive him mad, all this indecision! He never knew what to think, to feel or to do around her and so he always seemed to decide on the worst possibility.

Frustrated and not wanting to cause any further damage, he turned on the spot and silently left the shuttle again.

He had barely set foot in the hallway when he heard quick, light steps behind him. Kaylee. When he turned and saw the mixture of anger, hatred and concern in her features, he knew, his plan had worked. At least something.

"I'll hack her communications, give you the name and you get that bastard", the small woman stated, not allowing any contradiction.

Mal looked down at her, nodded grimly and turned back again without any further answer. He had Kaylee where he had wanted her. Outraged at how her best friend had been treated and in for revenge, no matter the cost and no matter that getting it meant a huge breach of trust.

He heard Kaylee getting back into the shuttle, probably heading directly for the consoles to get to work. He, on the other hand, walked along the metal floor towards the mess. He intended to speak to the rest of the crew, explaining what had happened and what he intended to do about it.

Three hours later, Kaylee was at her wit's end. Mal could see from her posture that she was close to giving up but her determination forbade it. He had entered the shuttle to see if she had found out anything and to check on Inara. Although he knew the latter was up to the doctor and therefore denied it was a reason for why he came back here in the first place.

After a deliberately short glance at the still sleeping – he refused to consider unconscious – companion, he turned towards his mechanic who sat with her back turned at him in front of the shuttle's consoles.

"Found something?" he asked and made her jump.

"Captain!" she said while turning towards him. "Don't you ever knock?"

The only answer she got was a dismissive gesture of his hand. "So?"

She let her head hang. "I don't know. Maybe. But not really. It's ... Ugh. I don't know!" Her voice betrayed her frustration even more than her body language.

"How can you not know if you found something?" Mal inquired.

"Well, I checked her communications and her schedule and found her last client", she explained.

"So where's the problem?" he interrupted her, too impatient to wait for her to continue.

She gave him an annoyed look. "The file is clean. I got a name and the personal data, everything the Alliance keeps track of, but it just doesn't add up."

Mal tilted is head questioningly.

"It's practically empty, there's nothing in there. No offense against any law in any way ever." While speaking she raised her voice in frustration. "I checked the file over and over again but couldn't find a thing. I even got through to the source code and somehow... I don't know", she repeated. "It feels wrong. But I can't put my finger on it!" With that, she angrily turned back to the monitors behind her and stared at the writings on it. Mal moved closer to look over her shoulder but found he couldn't make any sense of the cryptic signs.

After a few more seconds, Kaylee abruptly got up. "I'll ask River!" she said and marched off before Mal could say another word.

Looking after her, his eye got caught by the still figure on the bed again. Inara lay there, unmoving, her eyes closed and her face showing the pain she was still in, despite the medication the doctor had given her.

He couldn't help it, he was drawn over to her and soon found himself kneeling before her once again. He wanted to touch her still face, ease out the creases on her forehead and tuck the loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.

His hand was stretched out halfway towards her head before he caught himself and drew it back. In the same motion he got up again and turned away from her. He couldn't let himself do what he wanted to. Not in this matter. She had shown him over and over again that there was no way for the two of them to share anything but the spaceship they were living on and he wouldn't take advantage of her weakened state to allow his feelings to show in ways she didn't want.

* * *

 _So, that's it for now. If you find a spare second, I'd love a review, thanks :-)_


	3. Chapter 3

_My apologies once more for not getting the slang right, now even more than before with the 'new' characters! Oh and of course for not using any Chinese...  
Have fun reading!  
_

* * *

"You don't intend to leave alone, do you?"

The voice of his second in command had Mal spin around on his heels. Zoe was coming his way, Jayne only two steps behind her. Both looked grim and determined.

"In fact, I do", he replied, turning back to his preparations.

"Won't happen", Jayne said as if it settled the matter.

Mal faced them once again, already opening his mouth to protest, when Zoe cut in.

"You're not the only one who cares for the crew, captain! We have as much right to punish the man responsible as you do." She was now standing only a few feet away from him, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. Mal involuntarily thought about the appreciative comment Wash would make about his wife if he could see her now. Sometimes he wondered how he had ever managed to get that woman under his command. She wasn't the type who let herself be told anything.

He grimaced slightly at her argumentation. "That might be true for you but don't tell me Jayne suddenly developed brotherly feelings for Inara." He didn't care his words were unduly harsh, he just wanted to be left alone so he could proceed. Although he suspected there was no getting rid of Zoe now that she had set her mind on coming with him. In fact, he should have known she would want to come. Staying back when one of her comrades was hurt really wasn't her thing. Jayne on the other hand... The mercenary's sense of honour was more than just a little twisted so Mal never knew what exactly the bulky man would do next. But he was pretty sure he wouldn't care if something happened to Inara. The man had never liked the companion who was so different from him. Admired her looks, maybe, but never cared for the person behind the beautiful facade.

"Won't let no one hurt a woman and go unpunished", was all Mal got as a response from the man.

The captain sent an inquiring look at his crew member, astonished. He had never spent a single thought on what exactly Jayne saw in the fairer sex but now that his mind was on it... He might reduce them to an almost entirely sexual being without much other purpose – although Mal didn't know how he managed that while constantly being around Zoe, Kaylee and River – but he never spoke about them in an aggressive or even violent manner. In fact, now that he thought about it, Mal remembered how Jayne had pleaded to get Saffron for himself, arguing that she would have a good life with him.

Once the thoughts had settled in, his picture of the man tilted slightly and Mal couldn't see Jayne with the same eyes as before anymore. The man's morale code dictated him to protect woman, whether he liked them or not, and Mal wouldn't be the one to suppress any good intention in the otherwise so erratic man.

Wordlessly, he turned back to his preparations. He could hear the other two shuffle to stand next to him. They had interpreted his lack of final veto on their coming with him exactly as it had been meant. A silent agreement.

"So, what do we have?" Zoe asked.

"Ascon Fornett", Mal answered, almost feeling bile rising up his throat at the mere thought of that bastard. He hadn't known he was able to hate someone more than he hated Niska, but apparently, he was.

"Son of the wealthiest man on this planet and heir to the family company. Everything the Alliance likes in their VIPs", he continued disgusted, the task at hand momentarily forgotten. "Kaylee had some difficulties with his file but River managed to get through. The asshole had his records altered, made himself seem like the perfect core-bred citizen. Turned out he was charged with sexual offenses in several cases and his former wife accused him of violence against her. Of course, all charges were dropped in the end. Must be nice to have a father who can bribe half a planet." The bitterness and hatred in Mal's voice were so obvious, he could feel even Jayne twitch in anger next to him.

"Then let's go get him to justice", Zoe stated, taking the extra ammunition Mal was still holding and packing it into the bag before him. Jayne just walked away, murmuring "I'll get Vera".

"Five minutes, shuttle two", Zoe called after him and got a confirming grunt in return.

"Come on, let's go", the woman said and took the now finally packed equipment in one hand while using the other to give Mal a push.

The flight to the estate where Fornett lived was silent, no one felt like talking, all of them caught up in their musings about the man and planning their revenge.

It took barely half an hour to arrive at the excessively huge estate that marked the Fornetts' home. A pompous house surrounded by spacious gardens, acres and acres speckled with exotic plants that were most definitely not native. Mal detested it at first sight and not just because of the owner but because it represented what he felt the Alliance stood for. Pure, unnecessary extravagance and the will to control everything, even nature if possible.

They left the shuttle a little way off and marched towards the gates that marked the entrance. Mal felt his heartbeat picking up, anticipation rising in him at the thought of what was to come. He itched to see the man who had tortured Inara, the desire to make him pay almost painful. Next to him out of the corner of his eye he could see Zoe to his right and Jayne to his left. While his second in command was as tense as he himself, the man had his usual unconcerned air about him.

"Do we have a plan?" Zoe asked shortly before they arrived at the heavily decorated iron gates.

"Find the man and beat him up", Mal answered unceremoniously.

"Beat him up until unconsciousness, until blood flows, until bone breaks or until he stops breathing?" Jayne inquired from his other side.

"Depends on how he behaves himself, I'd say."

"Works for me", Zoe answered.

Finally standing in front of the entrance, Mal rang an almost ancient looking bell that fit the gate's design.

"Yes, who is this?" a male voice almost immediately answered through a speaker slightly above their heads.

Mal shortly looked at his two companions. "Malcolm Reynolds, Zoe Washburne and Jayne Cobb." He had debated using false names but ultimately decided that they already were wanted criminals in one way or another and therefore it wouldn't make much of a difference. In addition, he wanted his revenge to be complete which meant that everyone interested should know it was him who had taken Ascon Fornett down. If that led to the Alliance searching for him, he didn't care. He had never been one for hiding. He stood up for his morals and should anyone ever have a problem with that, they were welcome to challenge him.

"Antric, head of household, at your service", came the voice from the speaker again. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for Ascon. He's an old friend of ours and since we were in the area we thought we could pay him a visit."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Master Fornett has gone into town about an hour ago."

A look of grim satisfaction spread over Mal's face. Even better, so they could get to him, separate him from everyone else and deal with him in peace and quiet, undisturbed by overly protective staff that didn't appreciate their master screaming in pain.

"Oh, not a problem", he said friendly. "We'll go after him and meet him there. If you could just tell us where exactly he planned to go?"

"I believe he was on his way to an establishment called 'Limelight'. It's not very far. You just have to follow the road to the first houses, turn right after the second one and left again at the next corner. You can't miss it."

"Thank you", Mal said politely before motioning to the others and walking away again. A grim determination had taken hold of him and he knew, nothing would stop him now until he had found the man and made him pay.

Their feet caused little clouds of dust to swirl up every time they touched the ground. Although this was no desert planet, the last shower of rain seemed to have been a while ago. The air was dry and warm, the sun shining from a blue afternoon sky.

When they walked back the way they had come, they could make out the vague shape of their shuttle hidden behind the outskirts of a forest.

Reaching the first buildings didn't take long. After only ten minutes of quiet walk they crossed a wooden house which lacked every bit of glamour the monumental estate behind them possessed. The next ones that came into sight weren't much different. All looked shabby and were coated with a layer of dust. The streets they followed, first right and then left again, were almost empty. Only once they crossed paths with a woman who held her head down and hurried past them.

"Certainly one of the happiest towns I've ever come through", Mal sarcastically commented.

"Guess they don't have much to laugh about with that local patron of theirs", Zoe answered.

A few steps ahead of them, the sign of the 'Limelight' motionlessly hang from a house that looked even shabbier than the ones around it.

"Ok, we go in there and see if we can lure him out and get him somewhere more private", Mal summarised his plan. He turned to his second in command. "Zoe, you better stay back, he may get suspicious if he sees us with a woman." When she nodded, Mal switched his gaze to Jayne and beckoned him to follow.

When they entered the bar, a wall of noise greeted them. The room was only half-lit and the air smelled of alcohol and too many bodies in too little space. The clouds of cigarette smoke hanging in the air made both seeing and breathing difficult. Mal instantly envied Zoe who could stay outside and simply wait for them to come back out.

Both men instantly started to scan the crowd for the face from the file Kaylee and River had hacked. After half a minute, Jayne pointed to the other side of the room with his head.

"There", he simply said.

Ascon Fornett, a tall, brown haired man who was probably considered handsome sat among a group of others, all of them obviously drunk, no matter it was barely late afternoon. It cost Mal everything he had not to just run over there, grip the man and beat the living daylights out of him.

Instead, he explained his plan to Jayne in a low voice. When the mercenary nodded in understanding, Mal started moving towards the bar, Jayne following him.

They slowly made their way over, aiming for a spot a few metres to the right of Fornett's group. Ordering a drink each with a wave of a hand, they sat down on the barstools.

Hours passed by with nothing more happening than Mal occasionally reminding Jayne that it was vital they stayed sober. The task ahead of them was too important for them to mess it up just because they had been bored and started to drink. The mercenary wasn't too happy with his captain's determination but he complied. Obviously he felt the other man's serious mood, which was uncharacteristic but underlined the situation's severity.

"He's leaving", was the first thing Mal said after half an eternity of silently sitting in front of a half empty glass. His whole body tensed as he watched Fornett getting up, swaying a little and grinning broadly. With a last comment towards his friends, the man started to make his way through the by now a little less filled room. Considering the amount of alcohol Mal had watched him consume, he was astoundingly steady on his feet.

"Showtime", he said and got up, Jayne only seconds behind.

They followed the slightly ragged looking man out of the bar and into the dark alley outside. Mal instinctively tried to sense Zoe. She had to be near somewhere, probably hiding behind the corner left of them. He made an inconspicuous gesture for her to stay out of sight and follow them. Years and years of working together had made the two of them the perfect team, no words needed.

When the man in front of them hesitated briefly and tried to orientate himself in the now dark street, Mal approached him. He did his best to make his voice sound light and as unthreatening as possible.

"You're Ascon Fornett, right?" he asked when he drew level with the slightly unbalanced man. " _The_ Ascon Fornett?"

The man jerked a little and tried to focus on Mal. "Yyyyes, I am", he slurred. "And who're you?"

"Oh, I'm Mal", he answered brightly. "And this is Jayne." He gestured towards the mercenary who was standing about two feet behind him. "A friend told us all about you and since we were in the area we thought, we'd pay you a visit." The urge to simultaneously strangle the gorram bastard and to gag at the thought of his doings nearly took over his body when Mal continued. "We heard you liked beautiful women with certain talents..." he trailed off. The grin on Fornett's drunken face was sickening.

"Hm, d'you've someone for me?" A wave of stale alcohol washed over Mal when the man came near and practically breathed him in the face. It cost him all his self-restraint not to push him away. Only the thought of how much better his revenge would feel if he took the time to execute it properly kept him from killing the man with his bare hands right there and then.

"Yeah, we do", he answered with a forced smile. It was lucky the man was too drunk to notice anything apart from the obvious content of Mal's words. "I tell you, she's gorgeous and very... talented. Isn't she?" He turned to Jayne who was still standing behind him, silently watching the scene.

"Oh yeah, she is!" The other man managed a far better facade than Mal, the captain noticed, but he knew the mercenary and could see the anger boiling in him, too.

"Well then, let's go see her ", Fornett said and started staggering to the left. After a few steps he stopped and watched back at Mal and Jayne. "Where'll we meet her?"

"The other way. She's waiting at a place at the edge of the town."

"Oh, right, so let's go there", the man said and turned. He didn't manage on the spot and overbalanced before getting his equilibrium back. If his disgust hadn't overshadowed his every other thought, Mal could have laughed about how drunk the man was.

The three of them started walking down the dark alley, passing shabby houses with dark windows and garbage littering the street. Mal thought he could hear Zoe behind them but knew it had to be his imagination. This woman didn't make any sounds if she didn't want to.

After a couple of silent seconds, Mal bit down his repulsion and started a new conversation. He wanted to keep the man talking so he didn't start to think. So he didn't get a chance to realize that there shouldn't be any woman in this town he didn't already know.

"So, you've got any recommendations for us? Where I come from all the women look the same and most of them aren't really my type. Too... pale. I like a dark-haired beauty, someone with an air of mystery to them. Know what I mean?"

Instantly, Fornett's eyes clouded, Mal could even see it in the dim moonlight that was their only illumination.

"Ah, ya, I like them, too. Had this whore a few days ago. Gorgeous, I tell you!" Mal usually didn't even think twice about calling Inara a whore, not even to her face, but hearing someone else say it and with this lecherous expression was almost too much. He clenched his fists and forced himself to keep his breathing even when he guided Fornett around the last corner.

The end of the street was almost in sight. And with that, their destination. There were only some abandoned buildings at this edge of the small town and even if someone did hear them, Mal wasn't too worried that anyone would try to intervene. In towns like this no one minded anything other than his very own business. If someone got tortured next door, no one would care apart from the noise that made it hard to sleep at night.

Fornett kept on babbling. "Oh, the things we did. I did. It was... delicious." His tongue almost stumbled over the word. The alcohol had finally taken its full effect on him. "I love it, when they scream. It makes all this sooo much better. T'hear their pain is just like heaven, don' you think?" Listening to the slurred words, Mal started to slowly count backwards so he didn't attack that beast of a man before they reached the back wall of the last house. That was where he intended to finally give in to the ever growing need of punching the man senseless and he didn't plan on ruining his own revenge.

They had barely reached the bushes covering the edge of the town and Fornett seemed confused, looking left and right, searching for the promised delight, when Mal's fist hit him in the stomach with full force. The man instantly doubled over in pain and gasped. Before he could take another breath, the furious captain struck again, this time aiming for the temple. Fornett stumbled back at the impact and crashed into the bushes behind him. They softened his landing but at the same time scratched his skin badly until blood started dripping. When Mal drew back his foot to kick the man lying on the floor before him, a hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder. He froze mid-motion and looked at the person daring to interrupt him. It was his first lieutenant.

"Don't, captain. Not like this, not when he's so drunk he won't remember a thing."

Mal hesitated, fought the longing to finally get justice for Inara. He looked down at the slightly whimpering man who didn't seem to have the energy left to even ask what was happening to him.

"If he lives at all to remember. I won't guarantee anything", he said gruffly before forcing himself to turn away. "But I won't wait until he sobers up on his own, there has to be another way!"

"'Could take him to the doctor and ask him, he made me clear in the head again that one time, remember?" Jayne's voice unexpectedly sounded from behind.

"No!" Mal's instant reply was harsh. "I won't take that monster anyway near Inara ever again. Not even with that many closed and secured metal doors between them!" The thought of Fornett being even remotely near Inara made Mal shudder. He'd rather wait another three days than have the two of them within less than twenty miles of each other.

"Jayne, go see if you can find some cold water. Zoe and I will make sure Fornett here doesn't try anything he could later regret."

All Mal got was an indistinctive noise and the sound of feet shuffling over the dry ground. Zoe and he settled down on the bare earth as soon as Jayne was gone and watched their whining target wordlessly.

* * *

 _So, not much left anymore. I hope I'll manage to upload the final part tomorrow, but I can't guarantee it.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_Alright, so here's the last - and probably most wanted - part. I'm quite unsure about it, don't know if I think it's good enough but since I don't know what to do better, either, I'll just upload it...  
Hopefully you'll be satisfied!_

* * *

Almost an hour later, they heard someone coming near. It was Jayne carrying a bucket filled with water if the slushing sound coming from it was anything to go by.

"Don't know how all the people living here can only have one well. Had to search the whole gorram town to find the stupid thing!" He stopped next to Mal and Zoe who were still sitting on the ground and looked down at Fornett. The man had fallen asleep at some point, the alcohol being stronger than the fear and the pain.

Mal got up, brushed the dust from his trousers and held his hand out. Jayne handed him the bucket and Mal barely waited the second necessary for Zoe to get out of the way before he splashed the bucket's contents over Fornett's head. A few drops flew astray and hit Mal's bare forearms. Satisfied he noticed how cold the water was.

Sputtering, Fornett came back to life. His head and upper body were dripping wet and he was clearly confused, not knowing where he was and why he was soaked. His unsure motions made it obvious that neither the little nap nor the cold water had done much of a difference and that he still was pretty out of it. He was looking left and right, trying to make out his surroundings.

Mal moved towards the guy but Zoe held him back once more.

"It's no use, captain, guy's still drunk as a lord."

"I don't care! I've waited long enough, his reprieve is over now!" With that, he broke away from his first mate and with a quick and well-practiced movement pulled Fornett up while simultaneously putting him in a chokehold. The man had no chance to fight it. And before he knew it, Mal had grasped his arm and twisted it behind his back. Right arm across the man's throat, left one gripping his wrist, the man had no way of escaping. And Mal knew, pain and fear would soon enough clear the man's head so he would know why he was beaten senseless.

"Wha'?" Bleary eyes were looking up at them, still not knowing what was going on. Mal shot a glance at Jayne and Zoe. His two comrades were standing in front of him and Fornett, neutral expressions on their faces. It was obvious, they wouldn't mind whatever Mal decided to do to the man. On the contrary in fact. The murderous looks in their eyes clearly stated that they would even have their share in what was to come.

"Oh, you'll see what", Mal said and twisted the arm further, to breaking point, and held it there. He could feel the bone bending, right to the edge of snapping.

Fornett screamed. His whole body tried to escape the pain but Mal's grip was made of steel.

"Stop!" The man's voice was squeaky. "Stop, please!"  
Suddenly, Mal had Inara's voice in his head, how she would sound saying those same words. He couldn't help but imagine how she had pleaded for Fornett to stop when he started to hurt her. At first, surely, she would have tried to reason with him, than to escape and fight, but finally, she must have started begging. Mal shook his head, trying to escape the images and sounds his mind came up with. He was already angry enough at the man, the pictures only caused his concentration to falter. Until now he had mostly managed to ban the thoughts of how it must have been for her, and with good reason. It caused him almost physical pain to even think of it.

In order to make the man stop and thereby shutting down his imagination, Mal contracted the muscles in his right arm and pulled. The man's throat was closed now and even in the pale moonlight bathing the scene, Mal could see him slowly turn from white to red to blue in the face as he was cut off from oxygen. When he felt the man getting even wobblier on his legs than he already was, he loosened his grip. Fornett gasped for air. He had barely filled his lungs again when Mal bent his left wrist a little and by that made the pain in the man's arm close to unbearable.

The screams coming from him were kind of satisfying. Mal didn't think of himself as a cruel man and usually he didn't take any delight from hurting other people but the memory of Inara, lying on her bed, broken and barely conscious, erased his every rational thought until only rage was left. Rage and the burning desire to let the man live through at least as much pain as he had put Inara through.

After a minute, Mal released some of the pressure until Fornett became still again, now only gasping for air, trying to breathe through the pain.

"You think he's clear now?", he asked Zoe who took a step closer and intently looked at the man.

"Yes, he's ready."

"Ready for what?", Fornett asked.

"Oh, you'll see", Mal answered. "Jayne, would you give me the honour of switching places? I'd like to look our friend here in the eye."

"'Course, capt'n." Swiftly, Jayne took over Mal's position.

Mal placed himself right in front of Fornett, Zoe a little to his right, and lowered himself a little so he was at the same height as the man.

"I take it you remember the night before last?" The man looked at him, still confused, obviously not really knowing where the question was aiming. "Don't tell me you forgot. You've been going on and on about her."

An understanding grin dawned on Fornett's face. Somehow, he seemed to have forgotten in how bad a position he was and out of nowhere had gained some bravery.

"Oh, her, of course. This is about her? Really? What do you care about a filthy whore?" The lecherous expression from earlier that evening was back on Fornett's face and if he had ever had a sense of self-preservation, it was clearly gone. Erased by the alcohol's aftereffects and probably adrenaline pumping through his veins.  
The man's audacity let Mal see red. "She is _not_ a whore", he snapped. "And she belongs to my crew, so whatever she does to earn her living, she's under my protection."

The man started to laugh. "Your crew? What kind of crew is that with a whore among it? Oh, wait, I understand. She's yours, isn't she. Do you take her in turns? Or maybe a threesome every now and then with that bitch over there?" He looked at Zoe. "Where does she come from anyway? I can't remember being led here by her. Only your two ugly faces."

Jayne snarled at the comment but didn't do anything. Mal was hard pressed to finish the man right on the spot, if only for the implications he had just offered. But he refrained himself. He carefully made a step towards Fornett, laid both hands on his shoulders and thrust his knee into the man's groin. It seemed somehow fitting to hit him where it hurt most after what he had just said.

Fornett instantly doubled over, thereby putting pressure on his throat which was still clamped in Jayne's arm. Mal beckoned to the mercenary to keep holding the man up. Fornett had barely caught his breath again and looked at Mal, when the captain's fist hit him in the face. Mal heard the nose break with a satisfying snap. Blood shot out of Fornett's nostrils and over his face until it was dripping from his chin, staining his shirt.

"Oh yes, she belongs to my crew. And no one", he emphasised the expression by pressing his thumb onto the broken nose, "hurts my crew."  
Fornett tried to escape the pressure by turning his head, but his movements were too limited. Tears of pain started to run over his face when Mal crooked the man's nose but Fornett refused to make a single sound. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although clearly being in pain and with no way of escaping the situation, he tried to grin nastily at Mal.

"No one hurts women", unexpectedly came from Jayne. Hatred and disgust were written all over the mercenary's face, not something to be seen often.

"Pah, I can do with them whatever I like." Unbelievably, the man still dared to get cocky. "They're women, they're meant to serve men. And if we like to hurt them, it's not their place to complain."

Mal couldn't believe his ears. He had dealt with more than just a few lunatics during his dubious career, but someone, some _thing_ , like this had never crossed his path before. He didn't even have the chance to do anything further because all of a sudden Zoe took the three steps necessary to draw level with him.

"Please, captain, may I?"

"Of course", he said and bowed a little before moving backwards and giving her space.

Zoe carefully checked if her sleeves were still tightly rolled up, then looked at Fornett. There was not as much fear in the man's eyes as she would have liked. And not as much pain either. In a rapid movement, she pulled her right arm back and then punched him in the stomach with all the strength she could muster. Once more the man doubled over, this time Jayne loosened his grip at a sign from Zoe and stepped away so she could take his place. As soon, as she got hold of Fornett's arm, she expertly twisted it with enough force to simultaneously dislocate the shoulder and break both bones in his forearm. The snapping sound was clearly audible, even over the instant screams of agony coming from Fornett's mouth. The man went limp in Zoe's grip but she held him up and whispered in his ear.

"You know, I truly am one for equality. If you ask me, a woman has exactly the same rights as any man. So", and now she smiled with the amiableness of a hungry shark, "if you're entitled to hurt me, I'm entitled to hurt you, don't you think?"

With that, she thrust him to the ground where he rolled onto his back, clutching his injured arm, and wailed.

"You know, Inara is my friend, and I don't like when someone hurts my friends", Zoe said.

Mal sent her an approving glance when she stepped back again and he moved closer to Fornett once more. By now, the man definitely looked worse than Inara had when Mal had first found her, he noticed with satisfaction.  
He had debated killing Fornett, but somehow it seemed too merciful. If the man was dead, he couldn't suffer for what he had done. And make him suffer was what Mal had wanted.

"I'd say, I hope you've learned something from this", he told the man, "but honestly, I don't. Because if you haven't and you'll ever do something like this again, if you ever even look at a woman the wrong way again, we'll know. And then we'll kill you! But not in the nice, quick way. We'll make you regret every single second of your life!" He pretended to start and turn away but at the last instant stopped. "Oh and until then I want you to know that we deleted your faked files and sent a lead to the authorities to look into that shady character of yours. Guess they'll keep a close eye on you from now on." He didn't get a real reaction from Fornett anymore. The pain had finally drained every strength, both of will and body, from the man.

After that last statement, Mal put his foot on the man's left leg and pushed down hard. For the third time that night, the snapping sound of bones breaking could be heard.

Fornett didn't even scream any longer, he just lay there at their feet, face contorted in pain and with blood all over it, still clutching his arm and his leg now sprawled away from his body at an unnatural angle. He was barely conscious anymore.

Finally, Mal turned and started to move away. He could feel Zoe following him, but he couldn't hear Jayne's heavy footsteps. After a few meters, he stopped and looked back, checking for the mercenary.

He was standing over Fornett, silently watching the man. Then, suddenly, he lifted his foot and let his heel crash into the man's midsection.

"No one hurts women, not even whores", he stated before following after Mal and Zoe.

They left the once great Ascon Fornett, literally bloody and broken, lying in the dust to at some time be found by a coincidental bypasser. Because he surely wouldn't move anywhere on his own for the foreseeable future.

* * *

 _So, that's it! Thanks for sticking with this (actually rather short) story although it took me three months to continue writing. And know I never would have done it if it hadn't been for you demanding more :-) Thanks again for that, there's no bigger compliment an author can get!_

 _Currently I'm working on something about "Castle". It's completely plotted, I just have to write it. So if anyone has watched that show (and if it only was for the awesome Nathan Fillion), maybe you'll come back checking out that one, too, someday._

 _See you :-)_


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